NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Authorities are investigating possible human remains in the county where a Tennessee nursing student disappeared in 2011.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman Josh DeVine told The Associated Press on Sunday that investigators were in Decatur County, the same county where 20-year-old Holly Bobo disappeared from her family's home in Parsons.

DeVine didn't have a specific location in the county, and said officials are not connecting the remains to Bobo.

However, according to media reports, a skull was found not far from property owned by the family of Zach Adams, who is charged with kidnapping and murder in the Bobo case.

Adams and Jason Autry, who faces similar charges in the case, have both pleaded not guilty.

Two brothers, Jeffrey Kurt Pearcy and Mark Pearcy, also face charges of tampering with evidence and accessory after the fact in the case.

CBS affiliate WVLT reports the skull found was taken in for DNA testing and it could take until Tuesday for results.

The skull was found Sunday in a remote area just off I-40 in the small community of Holladay, less than six miles away from the home of Adams, according to the station. The find was reportedly made by two people digging for the herb ginseng.

Holly Bobo disappeared from her home on April 13, 2011. Her brother Clint said he saw her being led into the woods by a masked man dressed in camouflage. Since that day Clint, Holly's father Dana and mother Karen and the rest of the community of Decatur County and the surrounding area have worked tirelessly to bring Holly home

Fliers with her picture have covered the windows of gas stations, posters have been stamped to light poles, 18-wheelers have embarked on cross-country journeys carrying the message, "Bring Holly Home." The ubiquitous pink ribbons strewn across the South have come to represent not only one family's hopes, but the determination of a community to stand together for one of their fallen.

Even Monday night, as with every other press conference held about Holly's disappearance, many members of the community turned out, desperate for any relieving news, praying for something to bring peace.

When word spread Sunday that remains were found, the community waited for the news, though sorrowful, it had so long been deprived.

On Monday morning, Cory Tubbs, on whose family's land the remains were found Sunday, said he could not believe the search has taken so long and that some of the remains were found on his property, where numerous searches had previously been conducted.

DECATURVILLE, Tenn. -- A suspect in the disappearance and murder of a Tennessee nursing student who vanished in 2011 has been indicted on murder and kidnapping charges, officials said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Zachary Adams' indictment comes a day after Monday's announcement that a human skull found near property owned by his family is that of Holly Bobo. Her remains were found Sunday in Decatur County, not far from her home in the town of Parsons, about 110 miles east of Memphis.

Full text of the statement today from Holly Bobo's parents, Dana and Karen, and her brother Clint.

The family attended a news conference at the Decatur County Sheriff's Office today where their attorney Steve Farese read the statement:

Quote:

"On behalf of Holly we would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this difficult saga. Our friends have been unwavering in their support, and the authorities have been diligent in their pursuit of justice.

"We will never understand the actions or the motives of those who took Holly from us, but we continue to pray that someone will have the courage to step forward and shed more light on this senseless tragedy.

"Those responsible will be afforded a trial. As an innocent victim, Holly had no such right. They can appeal the verdict if they choose to do so. Holly was given no such choice. Although in prison, they can breathe, see God's wonders of this earth, and visit with their loved ones. Not Holly.

"We have lost a precious daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin and friend. However, those responsible have lost their souls. Holly's soul is the one thing that their brutality could not diminish or extinguish.

"The family knows that Holly is in a better place, and we're comforted by that knowledge. We hope that no family will have to experience what we have endured. Our agony cannot be adequately described in words. For this reason, we respectfully request something circumstances have denied us, and that is privacy. We believe we have the right to mourn privately, mourn as a family and a community. We know the press and other media have jobs to do, and in fact, y'all have been very helpful in publicizing Holly's abduction. But now is a time for grieving. Please honor our request. The case is in the hands of the authorities, and we will not have any further comment as a family at this time. Thank you."

Sheriff, DA say more arrests expected in Holly Bobo caseNichole Manna, The Jackson Sun 2:55 p.m. CDT September 9, 2014DECATURVILLE -- Decatur County Sheriff Keith Byrd said today that other arrests in the Holly Bobo case are forthcoming, though he doesn't have a timeline on when the arrests will happen.

"We're going to hunt these people until we find them," he said. "They can run, but they can't hide."

Byrd spoke to the media after the attorney for Holly Bobo's family read a statement from Karen, Dana and Clint Bobo regarding the discovery of human remains that investigators have determined are Holly's.

"My original goal was to find Holly," said Byrd, who was elected Aug. 7 and took office Sept. 1. Following his election, he had said he planned to begin new searches in hopes of finding Bobo's remains.

"My new goal is to see to it that the people who did this are punished," Byrd said today.

DECATURVILLE, Tenn. - The State has filed a motion to sever the cases against three men charged in the kidnapping and murder of Holly Bobo.

If granted, the motion would separate the trials of Zach Adams, his brother, Dylan, and Jason Autry. All three men have been accused of kidnapping, raping, and killing Bobo back in 2011.

At a motion hearing held Wednesday morning, Judge Creed McGinley said he does not anticipate the case going to trial until at least 2017.

"This case is my highest priority and council has described this case like none other," he said. "I am interested in moving this case along but we have significant obstacles."

The three men were arrested more than a year ago, with no trial date in sight.

McGinley said he cannot move the case any faster and added that everyone deserves closure.

There have been more than 600 witnesses listed in the case, along with more than 100,000 documents that have to be reviewed one at a time, according to attorneys.[...]Court was scheduled to reconvene at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 2, 2016.

DECATUR COUNTY, Tenn. — Judge Creed McGinley said during a Wednesday status hearing that the anticipated trial date is April 3, 2017, for the three men charged in the disappearance and death of Holly Bobo.

It has not been determined whether all three defendants will be tried separately, but the 2017 date is anticipated for a first trial.

Brothers Dylan and Zach Adams along with Jason Autry are charged with kidnapping, raping and killing Bobo. Dylan Adams and Jason Autry were present at the Wednesday hearing. Zach Adams was not but was represented by his attorney.

[...]The family of Holly Bobo says they’ll wait for justice as long as it takes.

“Whatever it takes, however long it takes, the family of Holly Bobo remains committed to having justive for their beloved daughter,” Family Pastor Don Franks said.

DECATURVILLE — Judge Creed McGinley still expects to have a trial in the Holly Bobo murder case in April 2017, but who goes to trial then depends on the outcome of motions to suppress statements made by the three defendants.

At a scheduling hearing Wednesday morning in Decatur County, McGinley said he expects defense attorneys to file motions seeking to exclude statements that defendants Zachary Adams, Dylan Adams and Jason Autry made to investigators. The judge said the defendants may have separate trials but that won't be determined until motions are heard in court.

McGinley also said it is likely the case will be moved out of Decatur County closer to the trial date in April.

"At this point, I don't know if I'll be trying once, twice or three times. Whether we can proceed with multiple defendants really is concerned on motions that have yet to be filed," McGinley said. "I will say on the front end that there have been motions for a change of venue from all three defendants, which is no great surprise."

[...]A three-day span for motions hearings is set for Nov. 15 through Nov. 17.

Yes, 70 motions. And if you read some of the tweets at the bottom of the article, the judge sounds like a piece of work. Judge Sets Trial Dates In Holly Bobo CaseBy Chris Conte | NewsChannel5 | November 15, 2016

DECATURVILLE, Tenn. - A Decatur County judge has set trial dates for two of the three men charged in the Holly Bobo case.

Jason Autry, along with brothers Zach and Dylan Adams, appeared before Judge C. Creed McGinley in Decatur County for a pre-trial motions hearing Tuesday morning.

The first trial date has been set for April 3, although it's unclear which Adams brother would be tried first. Autry's trial date was set for July 10.

Attorneys discussed some 70 motions they've filed over the last few months, including a change of venue. Judge McGinley said that while he’s not granting the motion today, he would do so in the future.

The case would be tried in Hardin County, located about 30 miles south of Decautville.

The jury would likely come from Hardin County, where they will be sequestered in a hotel with alarms on the elevators to ensure no outside contact.

McGinley said he has already looked into security measures at the Hardin County courthouse, including metal detectors, X-ray machines and K9s.

As for the pink ribbons surrounding the courthouse, McGinley said they "will not be tolerated" once a venue has been picked for the trial.

Zach Adams To Be Tried First In Bobo CaseBy NewsChannel5.com | December 14, 2016, 6:40PM

DECATUR COUNTY, Tenn. - Zach Adams, one of three men charged in the kidnapping and murder of Holly Bobo, will be tried first in the case. [...]Judge C. Creed McGinley said jury selection will begin on April 3, 2017 in Hardin County, saying “we cannot try this case here [Decatur County].”

McGinley added the trial will likely start at 8:30 a.m. every morning and last until 5 p.m. The jury will be sequestered and will work a half-day day on Saturdays.

He noted the trial will be "rigorous" and said he wants to give jurors recreational time on weekends so they won't be exhausted.

The next court hearing was set for February 1, 2017 at 10 a.m. to continue pretrial motion discussions.

DECATURVILLE, Tenn. -- Pink and green ribbons outside the Decatur County courthouse show that six years later, Holly Bobo is not forgotten.

And after 2.5-hour hearing Wednesday, a judge has ruled the first trial for one of her accused killers will move forward April 3.

Some of the language at Wednesday's hearing was hard for family to hear.

Prosecutor Jennifer Nichols read a letter written by former person of interest Shayne Austin. Austin killed himself before the investigation advanced.

“'I had her chained up in the back,'” Nichols read. "I will make you disappear like I did that girl."

Such language gave a dark preview for trial.

A representative for the Bobo family said it will be tough but the loved ones are ready.[...]“I can tell you the family wants this matter over with. They want justice, whatever that might be,” Bobo family attorney Steve Farese said.

The judge also ruled one of Adams' attorneys is not allowed on the case.

He said Luke Evans had a conflict of interest because he used to represent person of interest Shayne Austin.

SAVANNAH, Tenn. - The lengthy, at times painstakingly slow process of selecting a jury in the Holly Bobo murder trial began on Wednesday morning in Hardin County with some 200 potential jurors being summoned to the courthouse. [...]Officials expect the process of narrowing down the jury pool to last the remainder of the week. Jurors who make it through the initial selection process will then be summoned back to Hardin County court on July 6. The murder trial of Zach Adams is scheduled to begin on July 10 of this year.

The intense national publicity the initial search for Holly and her subsequent murder were cause for concern for both defense attorneys and prosecutors. The 12 jurors and three alternates selected to try Zach Adams will be sequestered for the entire trial which is expected to last two weeks.

SAVANNAH, Tenn. — The city of Savannah gets ready for a murder trial in the biggest case ever to hit Hardin County.

Zach Adams made another court appearance Wednesday as his defense argued a motion during a status hearing to delay the trial once again. Adams’ attorney presented 14 points on separate documents they say the state has not turned over. The motion to delay was denied.

The judge has reserved Friday, Sept. 8, in case another motions hearing needs to take place. The trial for Zach Adams is set to begin Sept. 11.